Sometimes, independent travel teams can be tricky for those involved. Organizational lapses can bring the whole operation down in a heartbeat, and the kids lose out.
So, a group of concerned parents has made sure that Plant City-area kids will have no trouble playing basketball.
The Plant City Vipers, the area’s newest basketball team, is dedicated to giving kids the playing time they expect while building good character at the same time.
“This team of boys, all 13 to 17 years old, all played together on a previous team,” team President Brandon Cruz says. “Some parents decided to start this team and give the boys an opportunity to grow as young men, to teach them some character.”
After incorporating in October and going through a coaching change, the Vipers began competing in last month’s Youth Basketball of America MLK Memorial Superqualifier tournament. They didn’t win, but the fact that the boys got to play in a tournament at all kept them happy — according to Cruz, playing in a tournament used to be just short of a miracle.
CONCERNED PARENTS UNITE
Cruz and his fellow board members said the Vipers launches after the boys experienced some hardships as part of a different travel team.
“The coach was trying to basically run the whole entire organization by himself,” Cruz says. “Administratively, he couldn’t handle the whole scenario, things weren’t going right — there were a lot of unanswered questions, and the parents were a little uneasy about the scenario. So, we decided to pull out from that team, and we started a board and figured, ‘Maybe we should start our own team.’”
Cruz and his wife, Lysandra, who live in Riverview, led the charge. Also getting on board were Reggie Rivers, Peggy Tulloh and Lili Armatrout. They grandfathered in any of the boys from the previous team who still wanted to play, but otherwise started fresh. They interviewed coaches and assistants, held tryouts and more.
“We were all a part of that team, and there were a lot of unanswered questions about finances, where the money was going and whatnot,” Cruz says. “It was too unorganized. We could deal with that, but the boys weren’t getting the playing time they were promised. They were told we’d go to a tournament, and the tournament would be canceled at the last minute, on the way there, the night before or the day of, and the boys just lost interest. We just had to do something to get their spirits up.”
GOING STRONG
“I just came out here to try out for the team, and I liked it,” says Omar Williams, who played for the previous team. “It drew me to play with the people that played on the last team. It’s been a lot better.”
The team has a mix of students from Plant City and Strawberry Crest high schools, and Tomlin Middle School. Some of the players are or were also on their school teams, and others just wanted to play for the Vipers because their friends are on the team. Cruz and the board members wanted younger coaches, to better relate to the players, and those roles are being filled by head coach Jerrod Williams and assistant coach Byron Woods.
“There’s a lot of potential here,” Williams says. “Great players, great listeners.”
The soft-spoken head coach doesn’t like to yell at his players, preferring to keep calm and promote a positive learning atmosphere. That, Cruz says, is crucial for the Vipers.
Now with some playing experience to their name, the Vipers will compete in another tournament this weekend, in Orlando. The boys all are focused on basketball, and the board is focused on keeping the team going.
As such, the board is currently looking for additional sponsors.
The entire Vipers organization is run by volunteers, so they rely on donations from fundraising events and their only current sponsor, White Dragon E-Cigs. The goal is to get the kids out to at least one tournament per month and to do something special near the end of the season in August.
“The main goal is to give the boys as much playing time against other teams, as much exposure, as possible,” Cruz says. “We have plans, maybe at the end of the season, for taking a big trip. Maybe out of state. Somewhere up north, or out west or something to get the boys closer as a team.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.